BANKS
At BankUnited:
▪ Kathleen “Kathy” Nemeth was named vice president and branch sales leader for the East Commercial Boulevard branch in Fort Lauderdale. She was previously at Wells Fargo in Fort Lauderdale, where she most recently was branch manager. Nemeth has a bachelor’s from the University of South Florida, Tampa.
▪ Troy Ganzel was named vice president and senior business banker in Fort Lauderdale. He was at HSBC Bank in Plantation, where he most recently was vice president and senior commercial relationship manager. Ganzel has a bachelor’s and an MBA from Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton.
COMMUNICATIONS
Rafael Ramírez has joined Newlink as chief creative officer. He was previously president and chief creative officer of INSPIRE Agency based in Dallas.
HEALTHCARE
Murugesan “Mano” Manoharan, M.D., has joined the team of cancer care experts with Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health South Florida. He will be the institute’s chief of urologic oncologic surgery and director of robotic urologic surgery. Previously, Dr. Manoharan practiced urology at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he was a site disease group leader for genitourinary cancers. He also practiced urology at Jackson Memorial Hospital and at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Miami. He was a tenured professor of urology and was director of the urologic oncology fellowship program at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. His academic background includes medical school at Madras Medical College in India and a urologic oncology fellowship at UM Miller/Jackson.
Sarah Pana will be Plaza Health Network’s first director of clinical innovation and education. She most recently was director of nursing at Jackson Plaza. Pana, a registered nurse, has bachelor’s degrees in nursing, physical sciences, education and special education from Xavier University in the Philippines.
HOME IMPROVEMENT
Adam Kayce, has been named vice president of Home Show Management Corp., producers of the Fort Lauderdale and Miami Home Design and Remodeling Shows, of which he is show director. He also is president of Perl Advertising Group. Kayce is a graduate of Bates College.
HOSPITALITY
Michael Hartman has been named managing director of the Hotel Key West at Stock Island Marina, which is slated to open early this year. This expands his current role as general manager of Stock Island Marina Village.
Christina Khan was recently named director of sales for the Residence Inn by Marriott Miami Beach/Surfside by Atlanta-based Hotel Equities. Khan was previously at Morgan’s Hotel Group Miami, where she was a regional sales manager. Khan has a degree in art history from California State University in Los Angeles.
LAW
At Miami-based Genovese Joblove & Battista, two partners have been named:
▪ Aaron S. Blynn, who joined the firm in 2009 as an associate, concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial litigation and franchise law. He has a bachelor’s in political science from Johns Hopkins and a law degree from the University of Miami.
▪ Michael A. Friedman, who joined the firm in 2011 as an associate, concentrates his practice on bankruptcy and complex commercial litigation. He has a bachelor of fine arts and a law degree from the University of Florida.
At Greenspoon Marder, recent promotions include:
▪ Mark Lynn, from associate to shareholder at the firm’s Fort Lauderdale office. He focuses on real estate transactional law. Lynn, who has a bachelor’s from the University of Pennsylvania, has a J.D. from UM.
▪ Daniel C. Mazanec, from senior counsel to shareholder at the firm’s Miami office. He is a member of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. Mazanec has a bachelor’s from Notre Dame and a law degree from the University of Virginia.
▪ David Merkur, from associate to shareholder at the firm’s Fort Lauderdale office. He is the Financial Services Practice Group’s managing attorney, and also manages the Business Compliance practice group. He has a bachelor’s from the University of Florida and a J.D. from Nova Southeastern University.
▪ Alan Somerstein, from associate to shareholder at the firm’s Fort Lauderdale office. He is a member of the firm’s Real Estate and Banking practice groups. Somerstein has a bachelor’s from UF and a law degree from Florida State University.
Jason Berkowitz, based in Miami, has been promoted to principal at Jackson Lewis P.C., a workplace law firm. He was previously an associate at the firm. Berkowitz has a bachelor’s from Tufts and a J.D. from UM.
Benjamin C. Hassebrock has been named a shareholder at Ver Ploeg & Lumpkin, which focuses on insurance coverage and bad faith litigation. His practice is split between Philadelphia and the firm’s Miami office. Hassebrock joined the firm as an associate in 2009. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa and a J.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
This column lists high-level promotions of senior executives at the director level and above who are based in South Florida. These announcements are for full-time, paid positions. Send items, including previous job; educational background; and jpegs of head shots, to movers@miamiherald.com.
Mover’s spotlight
Name: Marcelle Acosta-Rubio
New position: Director of learning and development
at MBAF.
From: Organizational development officer at Banesco USA.
About her new job: Acosta-Rubio is the first to hold this position, which was created as a part of MBAF’s efforts to offer professional development opportunities within the firm. She is responsible for designing and managing MBAF University to include training in technical systems and applications; management and leadership; professional growth; and life and culture. She is also responsible for coordinating firm-wide learning initiatives, creating adequate on-boarding training programs, ensuring proper CPE compliance, and fostering a learning culture throughout the organization.
Education: Acosta-Rubio has a bachelor’s from Florida International University’s College of Business Administration specializing in management and international business.
Best advice she ever received: My dad had this quote in his office, and it always stuck with me: ‘People are more limited by their own mind than by the tools they possess.’
Choices for Spotlight are made from promotions sent to movers@miamiherald.com.